This meetup was held at The Wine Spot in Cleveland Heights, which recently began accepting bitcoin payments this year.

The first few people to arrive were a local couple who had read about The Wine Spot in the recent Heights Observer article. They were not too familiar with the technology, but had been reading all about it in the press, especially in light of the MtGox bankruptcy. They were intrigued, as we all are, and decided to stop by our meetup to learn more. We discussed several topics, including the history of Bitcoin, where it fits in the world of technology, and how it applies to a small business in their own community, such as The Wine Spot.

Using a digital wallet, a customer purchases a growler of beer using bitcoin at The Wine Spot. Photo credit: Rebecca E. Groynom

Several familiar faces from the previous meetup also attended, some traveling as far as Westlake and Youngstown. Several new faces showed up, all quite excited to be able to have a nearby place where they can gather and chat about Bitcoin. New to this meetup included a lawyer, a bitcoin miner, and a software developer, all interested in a wide variety of Bitcoin related topics. Legal and regulatory issues are often brought up, as this is an important issue on the minds of Bitcoiners from almost every aspect of the technology.

Another attendee was Frank Revy, owner of Coffee Proper in Lakewood Ohio. Frank started accepting Bitcoin at his business last year. He has some great ideas about decentralized digital currencies like Bitcoin, and community currencies.

A special thank you to Elizabeth Ploshay, Manager of Communications for Bitcoin Magazine and board member of Bitcoin Foundation. Elizabeth sent us complimentary copies of Bitcoin Magazine to distribute to participants of this meeting.